The present invention relates to the field of pallets for transporting or storing goods.
Pallets are often used for the purpose of transporting and storing goods in warehouses. Known pallets typically consist of a rectangular goods-supporting platform with feet which permit fork lift forks to pass underneath for lifting and transporting the pallet and its cargo.
Many warehouses employ rack or shelf systems to store pallets of goods at various heights within rack openings of a fixed height and width, with each rack opening being intended to store a single pallet of goods. To avoid wasting vertical space in a rack opening, it may be advantageous for the goods atop a pallet to be stacked in several layers. Such stacking is easily achieved when the goods are sturdy and of a uniform size and shape, because the top of each layer of goods forms a level platform for the next layer of goods. However, when the goods are oddly shaped, of non-uniform size, or fragile, such stacking may be impossible for reasons of instability or damage to goods. Disadvantageously, in such cases valuable rack opening space may be wasted.
What is needed is a pallet that overcomes the above-noted disadvantage, with the pallet further being collapsible to minimize storage space requirements when the pallet is not in use.
A collapsible multi-level pallet having a collapsed position and an erected position includes a lower goods-supporting platform and an upper goods-supporting platform. In the collapsed position, the upper goods-supporting platform lies flat over the lower platform. In the erected position, the upper platform is spaced from the lower platform. Goods may be loaded onto the lower and upper platforms of the erected pallet. A locking mechanism is used to lock the pallet in the erected position. An optional goods-supporting leaf is extendible from the raised upper platform into a position over the lower platform. The leaf may be supported in the extended position by deployable legs. The footprint of the pallet in its collapsed position is optionally no greater than the footprint of the lower platform.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible pallet comprising: a lower goods-supporting platform; an upper goods-supporting platform having a lowered position associated with a collapsed position of the pallet and a raised position associated with an erected position of the pallet, the upper platform being spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the lower platform when in the raised position so as to permit loading of goods onto the lower goods-supporting platform and the upper goods-supporting platform; and a first locking mechanism for locking the upper goods-supporting platform in the raised position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible pallet comprising: lower goods-supporting platform means; upper goods-supporting platform means having a lowered position associated with a collapsed position of the pallet and a raised position associated with an erected position of the pallet, the upper platform means being spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the lower platform means when in the raised position so as to permit loading of goods onto the lower platform means and the upper platform means; and locking means for locking the upper goods-supporting platform means in the raised position.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a collapsible pallet comprising: a lower goods-supporting platform; an upper goods-supporting platform having a lowered position associated with a collapsed position of the pallet and a raised position associated with an erected position of the pallet, the upper platform being spaced from, and substantially parallel to, the lower platform when in the raised position so as to permit loading of goods onto the lower goods-supporting platform and the upper goods-supporting platform; and a lock operatively coupled to at least one of the upper goods-supporting platform and the lower goods-supporting platform, the lock capable of selectively locking the upper goods-supporting platform in the raised position.